3. Hedera maroccana McAllister (Morocco) – An exceptional escape from cultivation. Recorded in 2010 in a wood margin in Lummen, apparently as an escape from discarded garden waste (see also http://waarnemingen.be/waarneming/view/52108392#). The identity was verified by Virginia Valcárcel (Madrid).
Hedera maroccana was only recently described as a new species (Rutherford & al. 1993). It belongs to the Hedera canariensis Willd. species complex, a group of Mediterranean and Macaronesian species. Its specific status was recently confirmed by Valcárcel & Vargas (2010). Despite its origin, it seems to be hardy in large parts of Europe (at least according to McAllister & Rutherford 1997; it is reported as frost-sensitive by Stace 2010) but has only rarely been recorded as an escape. It may have been overlooked.
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Selected literature:
McAllister H.A. & Rutherford A. (1997) Hedera. In: Cullen J. & al. (eds.), The European Garden Flora, vol. 5. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 375-380.
Rutherford A., McAllister H.A. & Mill R.R. (1993) New ivies from the Mediterranean area and Macaronesia. The Plantsman 15(2): 115-128.
Stace C. (2010) New flora of the British Isles, 3th ed.: XXXII + 1232 p. Cambridge University Press.
Valcárcel V. & Vargas P. (2010) Quantitative morphology and species delimitation under the general lineage concept: optimization for Hedera (Araliaceae). Am. J. Bot. 97(9): 1555-1573.